Sudanese officials, rebels agree on principle of return of refugees
By MOHAMED OSMAN Associated Press Writer
KHARTOUM, Sudan, Nov 12, 2003 (AP) — The United Nations Higher Commissioner for Refugees expressed concern Wednesday over violence in western Sudan, which is producing more refugees even as Sudan is trying to repatriate citizens who had fled to neighboring countries.
Ruud Lubbers told reporters that up to 70,000 Sudanese had fled their homes in Darfur province for Chad.
“What is going on there is a tragedy that a country is making peace and is at the same time producing refugees,” Lubbers said.
“I am very concerned about the situation in Darfur. We have observed some 70,000 persons who took refuge in Chad but there may be hundreds of thousands who suffer from dire situations inside Sudan. … There is a need to have access to those people,” Lubbers said.
Lubbers met Tuesday with President Omar el-Bashir and on Wednesday in southern Sudan with John Garang, leader of the rebel Sudan’s People’s Liberation Movement. He said both sides have agreed to plans proposed by the UNHCR for the return of some 570,000 Sudanese nationals now in refugee camps in neighboring countries.
The plans come ahead of the resumption of peace talks between the government and the SPLA at the end of the month.
The Sudanese refugees fled over the past 20 years of civil war in southern Sudan. The government says the war also displaced about 4 million people who moved to northern Sudan to avoid the fighting, and Lubbers said the UNHCR would also help these people.
He said UNHCR would be making a donor appeal for funds to help in repatriation, which would be undertaken by a number of U.N. agencies after a peace deal is reached.
A UNHCR statement said the envisaged repatriation operation was “likely to be one of the most challenging in recent times due to the level of destruction and poor state of infrastructure in south Sudan.”
Lubbers also spoke with el-Bashir about the repatriation of refugees from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Central African Republic, Uganda and Zaire, according to Sudan’s Commissioner for Refugees, Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Al-Aa’s.
Up to 300,000 Eritrean refugees have been living in camps in eastern Sudan for up to 30 years.
Lubbers is on a four-nation tour of Africa. He earlier visited Burundi and Tanzania and is scheduled to continue to Eritrea on Thursday.